


Pantsuits

by Cassplay



Category: Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries, Ms Fisher's MODern Murder Mysteries (TV)
Genre: F/F, Romance, f/f - Freeform, period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-06 23:52:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 792
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17949560
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cassplay/pseuds/Cassplay
Summary: It was 1949 when Florence Astor first walked into the Adventuresses Club; back when the club members could be counted on a single hand.





	Pantsuits

It was 1949 when Florence Astor first walked into the Adventuresses Club. Back when the club members could be counted on a single hand. There was Phryne, of course; and there was her former ward Dot. Phryne’s old friend Mac, the Doctor. Peggy was too busy in America to be at the club often, but she was still counted amongst their number. Then there was Herself, Birdie Birnside. She had only just managed to squeeze out from under the thumb of her mother.

Now it looked like Florence Astor was to join their band of wilful women.

“What I’m trying to do with my Pantsuits is allow women like us to be taken seriously in matters of business.” She said during her pitch.

Birdie heard the sentence, and appreciated the overall meaning; but she couldn’t help focussing on the phrase ‘Women like us’.

“An excellent pursuit, in my opinion.” Said Phryne. “What do you think, Birdie?”

“I think” She said, speaking on reflex before she had thought of something to say. “I admire the concept, but I am wondering what distinguishes them from Men’s suits?”

“An excellent question.” Florence smiled at her, like Birdie had asked just the thing she was waiting for. “These are specifically tailored with the woman’s figure in mind; it is not meant to just make them into an imitation of men, but to lift them up onto equal standing.”

“I hope we can do better than that.” Phryne smirked. “But please continue.”

The questions continued, and then Florence passed around one of her handmade suit-jackets for them to inspect and try on. Dot was most enthusiastic about the slimming cut. Mac said she could see the appeal it may hold for other women, even if she might not feel it herself. Birdie almost had to suppress a chuckle at that.

After that, they allowed Florence to wait outside while they talked over her bid for membership. It was not a long talk.

 

From then on Florence was a regular at the Adventuresses Club.

Birdie couldn’t help but notice how Florence would end up in the same room as her in the evenings. The parlour, when she was solving a crossword in The Age, or the Library, when Dot had gotten to the puzzle first.

When Birdie asked her about this, she merely remarked that she hadn’t noticed. Birdie doubted this, but took it in stride and asked about how Florence’s Pantsuits were going.

Florence tried to be positive, but Birdie could plainly tell that not all of Melbourne was as ready for a woman wearing pants as they were.

Mac had been wearing pants for more than a quarter of a century, and Birdie for a quarter of a decade. Florence asked about Mac, too. Birdie explained that she was one of Phryne’s oldest friends, and all but her second in command, albeit both roles were unofficial. It was plain to see, at least to one who also ‘knew of the writings of Sappho’, that she was definitely a woman’s woman.

Birdie felt her heart skip a beat when Florence referenced the poet.

 

Birdie had never been much for small-talk, or conversation for that matter; but speaking with Florence was incredibly easy. They talked long into the night, about current events, literature, everything. Statements like “I really don’t know what he was thinking in this paragraph in chapter ten, it’s utterly ridiculous.” and “Absolutely terrible what Menzies is doing, why on earth did anyone vote for him?” were not uncommon.

The club changed around them, with several more joining over the years. Dot took a leave of absence to better care for her war wounds. Throughout it all they found constants in each other.

“Birdie?” Florence asked one night. “I was wondering if you’d like a proper riding jacket?”

A week later Florence brought it in. it was a beautiful creation. Birdie couldn’t begin to express her gratitude. She certainly tried, though.

She couldn’t afford much, but Florence insisted she had enjoyed ‘Cinderella’. Birdie enjoyed Florence’s arms around her waist as they rode back to the Adventuresses Club on her motocycle.

It was Florence who made the first move. From that first night talking about why Florence always found herself in the same room as Birdie of an evening It was inevitable that a move be made. Birdie hadn’t expected one to be made though, she certainly wouldn’t make it for fear of rejection.

Birdie’s lips burned where Florence had met them with her own. Florence backed off, mistakenly apologising that she had misread the situation. She left quickly.

The next day Florence didn’t turn up to the club. There was only one place she could be. Birdie cornered Florence in her studio and corrected that mistake.

**Author's Note:**

> I know Florence dies early on but she and Birdie are in lesbians with each other, far before the story started.  
> Also i wanted the first of the MODern series to have some f/f


End file.
